DICE first used the Frostbite Engine to develop the first-person shooter, Battlefield: Bad Company which released in 2008. DICE began development on the engine two years prior, in 2006.
With Every release using the Frostbite Engine, DICE continued to build upon the engine improving and making it more accessible for developers.
With the Frostbite 3, DICE aimed to make the development process simpler and faster. Instead of creating dynamically swaying trees from scratch, Frostbite 3's wind physics will handle of all movement found in swaying trees or rising waves.
A signature part of the Frostbite Engine still remains its destruction. For Battlefield 4, DICE focused on something called "Levolution" that dynamically shifts the structures of the map and environment. As you saw in the E3 demo, entire skyscrapers will now crumble to dust.
Now the focus of Battlefield 4, water vehicle combat will depend heavily on the physics of the ocean's waves. Instead of moving on a flat plane, players will need to steer their boats and swim against dynamic waves crashing in from all directions.
Battlefield 4 will launch on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 29th. Expect retail releases alongside the PS4 and Xbox One launch.
